Finding Love In The City Of Emeralds
by Sweet-Hearted SilverEars
Summary: Richie Cunningham is leaving his childhood home. He has to do this, for himself, so he can finally be free to be himself. And to escape the constant torment of loving someone he can't have. Or can he? Pairing: Fonzie/Richie Warnings: MATURE ADULT CONTENT
1. Chapter 1 Freedom To Love

**Author's Note:**

**This is sort of an Alternate Universe. I guess that depends on your personal definition of AU. It's still set when the show is, but Emerald City is different then Richie's hometown. VERY different. **

**It looks similar to Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz (that's where I got the name), but the atmosphere is more like Las Vegas. Dance clubs, bars, and casinos. It's also very progressive and accepting of people who are different. (like my versions of Fonzie, Richie and his original characters friends/coworkers) **

**Also, the city is protected by mystical barriers. No one knows how they, or the city, came to be. But the barriers only let those in who have need of it's protection, those who need to find someone already inside, or those who are invited by people already living there. It's an interesting concept, yes? **

**I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have been enjoying writing it! :)**

**Sweet-Hearted SilverEars~**

**Chapter 1 Freedom To Love**

Richie Cunningham was leaving home. He packed two small suitcases with clothing, essentials and his small but beloved collection of books. He also took all the money he had been saving, departing his parent's house after leaving them a note respectfully asking them not to try and find him.

He knew they wouldn't listen of course, and that they would likely send Fonzie after him. But he hoped to get enough of a head start that it would be a while before he managed to find him.

Long enough for him to get established. Get a place to stay and a job so he'd have a legitimate excuse to say no when he asked him to come back home.

He took one last pained, regretful glance around his childhood room before he left, descending the stairs, shutting and locking the front door behind him on the way out.

* * *

**_Three Months Later_**

Richie was waiting tables for his usual shift at Sparkle, the dance club and grill he'd been hired at, when Fonzie walked through the door.

He instantly froze like a deer in headlights, his face going pale and drawing attention to his numerous freckles. He trembled while taking table number six their order on a large and circular black metal tray with aqua blue heat padding on the underside.

Fonzie looked the same as he always had, but Richie wore the tight black jeans and metallic aqua blue dress shirt that was the club's dress code for it's workers. His hair was also cut shorter; his eyelids were painted with slate grey kohl, his eyes outlined with jet-black liner. His left eyebrow was pierced and contained a small hematite hoop accented by an aqua blue colored stone bead.

Richie was flushed and nervous as he took and delivered orders to customers, watching as Fonzie asked for him. He flinched when his friend Tobias pointed him out from his usual place behind the bar.

He felt his stomach drop as Fonzie's eyes focused on him, but he managed a wan smile and a wave before signaling to his boss, Jasin, that he would be taking a short break as Fonzie headed his way.

Richie walked over to an empty black wood booth lined with aqua blue velvet. Fonzie followed, and the two men sat down across from each other without speaking.

"Richie," Fonzie finally said in his low voice, his dark eyes intense as he looked at him across the table.

"Fonzie," Richie replied, inwardly surprised when his voice didn't shake as he spoke. "How have you been?"

"How- How have I been? _Richie_! What have you done to yourself? Your family is going out of their minds wondering why you left and where you are!"

"You _can't_ tell them, Fonzie!" he pleaded, his voice panicked now, eyes widening as his voice cracked with his anxiety. "_Please_!"

"I can't? Why in the world not?"

"Fonzie, I'm working at a gay bar! _I'm gay_! They can't know that about me. They will _hate _me."

"You don't know that, Richie."

"I do, Fonzie. They would never accept me as who I am."

"How do you know you _are_ a homosexual?"

"What? I.. I just do."

"How? Do you have a boyfriend, Richie?"

"No."

"See?"

"That doesn't mean I'm not gay, Fonzie. I have had offers. But I'm not ready for that yet. I need more time to get settled here first. I need to get back to work, but my shift ends in about a half hour, if you want to wait for me?"

"I will wait right here. And bring me a burger and fries."

"Sure, Fonzie. And for your drink?"

"Coke."

"I'll be right back with that."

"Good."


	2. Chapter 2 Friendships And Love

**Chapter 2 Friendships And Love**

Richie finished up his shift just as Fonzie was finishing his meal, so he said goodnight to Jasin and Tobias before leading his friend up the stairs to his small but cozy apartment above the bar where they sat down on the couch in his living room.

"I can't go back, Fonzie. Please, try to understand. I'm sorry, but it's too painful to live that way. Here I'm free to be myself. I have a home, a job, and friends. I'm happy, Fonzie."

"Without your parents? Joanie?"

"Of course I miss them. I was a mess for the first month or so that I worked here. But they would never accept me as I am."

"And without a lover?"

"Fonzie!" Richie squirmed and blushed as he replied softly. "I told you, I'm-"

"'Not ready for that', I know. What's the real reason that you came here? A guy like you don't just pack up and leave home without strong motivation."

"I told you already. I was hurting, Fonzie. Trapped, like a bird in a cage. I needed to be free to be myself, to fly. Here I can soar."

"Uh, huh. You said that already, Rich. There has to be more."

"Why? Why does there have to be more?"

"Because I say there is. And I'm not even going to think about leaving until you tell me."

"..I can't, Fonz," Richie finally replied after a heavy pause, his face clearly anxious as he looked back at him. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll hit me."

"_Richie_! I would _never_ hit you. I'm insulted you would even think that, nevermind actually say it."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Richie, and tell me why you left all of us with nothing but a letter! Tell me why you came to this place!"

"I'm happy here, Fonzie.." Richie repeated, though his voice did sound weaker this time. "I don't know how to convince you of that, but I really am. The reasons that I left home were so that I could be myself, and because I.. _I love you_, Fonzie. I love you _so much_! To watch you constantly parading all those women about.. Touching them. .._Kissing_ them! It _hurt_ my heart, my soul, _so much_! I couldn't _bear _it any longer! I _couldn't_-"

Richie's tortured voice was cut off by his ragged sob, his face twisting with his pain, turning his body away from Fonzie now and covering his face with his hands as he began to cry dejectedly into his palms.

"_Richie_.." Fonzie replied after a moment or two, his familiar voice soft and clearly surprised by the other man's heartfelt confession. He reached out to touch Richie's slim shoulders, pulling lightly and turning him back to face Fonzie, his hands moving to Richie's head and lifting his face up to make him look at him despite his tear-filled eyes. "_Richie_. None of those women ever meant anything. They were a mask. I love you, too, Richie. I have ever since I met you. I've loved you the whole time."

Fonzie saw Richie's eyes widen in response to his words, his mouth opening slightly, so before he could speak Fonzie leaned in closer and pressed his mouth to his, wiping away his tears tenderly with his thumbs while he kissed him with all the passion in his soul. Richie quivered under his touch with pleasure, moaning softly into Fonzie's mouth before helplessly melting against him with a soft whimper of need.

That was when there was a knock at the door. Fonzie ended their first kiss reluctantly, watching with passion-dark eyes as Richie smiled at him tremulously while wiping at his damp eyes with clear embarrassment.

"_Thank you_. That was _wonderful_. You- You love me, Fonzie?"

"Yes, I love you. And yes, it was a wonderful kiss. I can't wait to do it again."

"Does that mean you're going to stick around?" Richie asked, the tone of his voice hopeful. "Stay here, I mean?"

"Yes, I'm staying. I won't leave you, Richie."

"Thank you, Fonzie. That means a lot to me. It means _everything_."

The knock came again then, louder this time, and Richie sighed at the continued interruption when all he wanted was to be with Fonzie. Talk with him, touch him. Make sure that he was really here with him. That he wasn't dreaming again.

"Richie? It's Tobias, honey," his friend called through the door finally. "May I come in? I just wanted to make sure that you were okay before I toddle off for home."

"Yes, you can come in."

The door opened with a soft creak and Tobias entered, the aqua blue streaks in his shoulder length black hair shining in the light as he shut the door behind himself. His dark eyes looked from Richie to Fonzie, clearly concerned and inquiring, the aqua blue bead on the small sterling silver hoop in his left eyebrow sparkling prettily.

"I'm alright, Tobias. I'm sorry for not helping you with shut down like I usually do. Did it go smoothly?"

"It went just fine, sweetie," Tobias assured him. "Don't worry about it. Who's your friend, Richie?"

"This is Fonzie, Tobias," he answered simply, knowing that he would understand the significance of that name.

Tobias gasped softly, his blue eyes going wide, dark pupils lighting up as his hands fluttered excitedly like a butterfly's wings at his sides. "_Ohhh_! _Your Amour_! I'm so happy for you, Richie darling! Surely he must feel the same way if he followed you here!"

"Yes, Tobias," Richie said with clear amusement, his lips curling slightly into a small, happy smile. "You were right about everything. You always are. Fonzie loves me, too! And we're going to live together!"

"Well of course, honey! I never doubted it," Tobias giggled and cooed in soft reply. "A lady knows these things, you know!"

"Yes, that's quite true. Well, goodnight, Tobias. I will see you for my shift tomorrow."

"Right. I had better! I get the message, but I'll be expecting details! Ta, darling!"

And with that last, Tobias left them alone once more.

"Your friend is very.. flamboyant," Fonzie said finally with an expression of bewildered amusement on his face.

"Yes. Much more so then I could ever be. He's very sweet and kind hearted, but sometimes his playfulness and theatrics can be hard to handle."

"Good. I love you just the way you are, Richie. You are beautiful to me. Inside and out."

Richie blushed at the compliment, looking up at Fonzie shyly through his lashes with a small smile. "Thank you, Fonzie. I feel the same about you. I love you. Will you take the couch for the night to sleep? ..Or my bed is big enough for two," Richie informed him, obviously nervous at the thought of lying so close to the man he loved in the night.

"I will join you in your bed," Fonzie replied boldly and without hesitation, the same way he did most things, but soothing Richie's anxiety at the same time as he continued, "I will hold you, Richie, and we will sleep. That is enough for now. Until we are married."

"_Married_?!" Richie gasped softly, his head jerking up to stare directly into Fonzie's dark eyes, his shock at the thought clear.

"Yes," Fonzie assured him, his voice firm and uncompromising. "I assume this place allows such things? If you think I could, in good conscious, make love to you until you belong to me by law, you would be wrong, Richie. You _will_ be mine before we give each other our innocence."

"I- I see," Richie stammered, though he nodded with a wide smile and joy-lit eyes. "Yes, it is legal here for us to marry each other. This place is wonderful that way. Very progressive for ..unconventional love."

"That is good," Fonzie said, standing up from the couch then and lightly tugging Richie to his feet too before they headed to the bedroom together. "When do you think you would like to get married, Richie?"

"Um, well.." he replied while changing into his pjs for the night, getting Fonzie a pair as well from his long redwood dresser and handing them to the other man. "Whenever you'd like to is fine with me. We will need to go ring shopping, though. None of the rest of it matters to me too much. Perhaps Tobias and Jasin will help us plan it? I'll make sure that Tobias doesn't go overboard."

"Good." Fonzie put on the pajamas, then they crawled into the bed together and pulled the covers up over themselves. "Richie?"

"Yes, Fonzie?"

"I want you to invite your parents and your sister to our wedding, please. Your new friends, too, of course. But I want your family there. _Our_ family. I know you think they won't accept us, but I think they will. You just have to give them a chance. Will you do that for me, sweetheart?"

"_Fonzie_.." Richie sighed, snuggling deeper into his arms as he spoke. "I just don't know.. I would love for them all to be there, but what if you're wrong and all my fears about being hurt turn out true?"

"I don't want you to be hurt, Richie. I will never want that. But isn't it at least worth sending them an invitation? I think, if you don't, you'll regret never knowing what would have happened. I know I would regret it."

"I know that you're right, Fonzie. I- I'll do it. I promise."

"Thank you, Richie love."

"You're welcome."

"Goodnight, Richie."

"Goodnight, Fonzie. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."


End file.
